It is known in the art relating to rail lubrication to apply lubricant to the flanges of selected wheels of a rail vehicle such as a locomotive in order to transfer the lubricant to the edges of the associated rails and thereby reduce friction and wear between the rail and the flanges of not only the lubricated wheels but also of other wheels subsequently traversing the track. Various types of lubricant have been utilized including liquids, greases and so-called solid block and strand lubricants.
A prior solid strand lubricant feeding system utilized a solid but somewhat ductile strand of plastic supported lubricant formed in a roll and fed through a tube supported by a locomotive frame and a wheel guided follower to lubricate the wheel flange. Dual gripping rollers driven by a stalled gearmotor drive were used to force the lubricant strand through the tube.